Joseph h



RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. 106,423. Patented Aug. 16,1870,

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Letters Patent No. 106,423, dated August 16,1870.

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Elbe Schedule reflux-ed to in rinse Beam Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it map cmwern: Be it known that I, JOSEPH H. Srocmon, of Thompson, in' the county of Golumbiaand State of Georgia, have invented'a new and useful Improvement in Railroad Switches; and I do hereby declarethatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable' others skilledin the art to make and use the same, reference being'had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification. s f i This invention relates to improvements in railroad switches, and consists in the application to .the switchrails, or the bar for moving them, of a weight and suitable levers or gears, and a holding and trippinglever, so that the tripping-bar or lever, being moved by the wheel of the advancing locomotive '01 car, will trip the weight and let it fall to close the switch, all as hereinafter described.

and t Figure 2 is a section of the same, taken on the line xx of'fig. 1. I

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents the rails of the main track;

B, the switch-rails; and

(),the sliding bar for moving the switch-rails.

This bar is connected to the arm'D of an oscillatingsh'afl; E mounted in the supports or switch-box F. This shall; is provided with a hand-lever, G, or wrench at one end, for turning it, and it has an arm, H, connected; by the jointed bars I K, with the oscillating yoke L, mounted in the switch-box F at the top, and :having an arm, M, whereon a weight, N, is suspended, all as shown. V I

0 is a holding and tripping-lever, pivoted at I, to swing up and down. One eud,.Q, drops into a hole or notch in. the the liar G, and holds it against the action of the weight. The other end, B, is so arranged. relatively to one of the rails A that the front wheel of the locomotive or car will force it down, and the ..other end up, thereby releasing the bar, and allowing theweight to act on the switchrailsflbr moving them Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved switch,

into line with the main rails A A, and thus afl'ord safe passage for the train. v

The lever O, at the end which connects with the bar 0, is held by the pressure of 'the weight against a friction-wheel, S, which will turn as the said lever rises. Thus the lever is caused to work with less. friction than if 'held by a bar or block, against which it must slide.

I may substitute gears .for the bars I K, either arranging them to turn the shaft E, or the bar 0 may have a toothed rack at one .end, to be moved by a wheel gearing with operated by the weight N.

The holding and tripping-bar 0 may have alever, 1 connected with it, for raising it by the handsor foot, to let the switch-rails be closed when required? Of course the apparatus may be arranged for moving tlleswitch-rails either way. I prefer, however, to arrange it to move them into connection with the main rails, as shown.

-The reverse movement is "eifected by the lever G, worked either by the hands or feet.

By the addition of another trip-rod, or an extension of the rod 0, suitably arranged to he moved by the wheel of the locomotive when coming from the other direction, the switch-rails may be brought in line with the main rails A, in like manner as they are herein represented, and I propose to make this appli: cation.

Having thus described my invention,

w I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patcut- 1. The combination, with the main rails, the switcin rails, and the shifting-barO, of the holding and trip,

ping-lever 0, and the'drop-weight N, the-latter being connected to the said bar, so as to move it when the lever O is tripped, all arranged substantially as sped!- fied. i

2. The combination, with the lever 0, of the frlctics-holding wheel 8, substantially as specified.

J. -H. STOCKTON.

Witnesses:

W. 0. W mum, Norman owmss. 

